Veterans Day: New England contractors commit to military families

BOSTON — It was the winter of 1991 when Jeff Chase made a motion to divert Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors — National Association advertising funds to U.S. troops in Desert Storm and their families at home. He had no idea that the program he started would last for 21 years.

Chase, president of COX Engineering Co., is a member of SMACNA Boston. Chase made the motion at their chapter meeting in a Boston hotel in 1991.

"A lot of our employees and office staff were being called to serve in Desert Storm," explained Chase. We had been talking about buying advertising with the Boston teams — the Celtics and Bruins — to promote SMACNA Boston. It just came to me at the end of the meeting: Why not give that money to the families of our troops instead?

“I just threw the idea out to the 25 SMACNA contractors at the meeting, and nobody dissented. It was unanimous — we didn't need a formal vote.

"Desert storm came and went quickly," said Chase. "None of us expected that, 21 years later, our help would still be needed. The program was suspended after the end of the Gulf War. But when March of 2003 came around and our kids were asked to serve again in the Iraq War, we revived it."

Today, SMACNA Boston uses money from its general operating fund to support military families, whether their member is deployed or actively serving at home. “Each family receives $900 a month,” says Chase. “SMACNA donates $500 and the other $400 comes from Sheet Metal Workers Local 17. Today, there are up to 15 families we are supporting at any given time. It’s just too bad our kids have to deal with this. They really shouldn’t have to.”

The association has continuously supported US military troops and their families through several programs funded by its contractor members.

According to Tom Gunning, executive director of SMACNA Boston, three of SMACNA Boston’s contractors’ sons have attended the United States Navel Academy and the United States Military Academy.

“Supporting our military is a natural fit for SMACNA Boston’s charitable efforts,” he added. “Our troops sacrifice so much for our wellbeing at home — we need to remember how fortunate we are and take care of our own.”

SMACNA Boston spends approximately $50,000 on military programs each year, with fluctuations depending on need.

Care Packs celebrated its 15,000th package packed and sent on June 23rd. The program, cofounded by Harrington Brothers’ Vice President Rick Donohue eight years ago, is an all-volunteer organization supported by SMACNA Boston and many others.

Care Packs celebrated its 15,000th package packed and sent on June 23.

Donohue, a Vietnam vet and another member of SMACNA, was drafted in 1972 and remembers serving in an “unpopular” war.

“A lot of us served at a time when it was not cool to be in the military,” Donohue said. “The day I was discharged, I was spit on at Oakland International Airport. If we can bring a little smile to a face of a lonely soldier far away from his or her friends and family, then it’s all worth it. We need to keep in mind that all the freedoms we have are because of their effort.”

Donohue’s son, Evan, just enlisted in the Army and reported in October.

Donohue is one of the originators of Carepacks, an organization dedicated to sending care packages to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a non-profit organization staffed and managed entirely by volunteers and began with one package Donohue sent to his son-in-law eight years ago. When Carepacks celebrated its 15,000th package, it was recognized with a citation from the Massachusetts State Senate, presented by Sen. Robert Hedlund, as well as a citation from the Weymouth Town Council and Mayor Sue Kay.

According to Donohue, this feat was accomplished with the help of many hands.

“Through the end of 2011, we spent $170,000 on shipping and $202,000 on everything that went into the boxes. SMACNA contractors have been very generous to our cause.”

Jobs and training

Stephen McKunes participates in the Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 Helmets to Hardhats program. He works for Harrington Bros. and will reach journeyman status in the spring of 2013.

The contractor members of SMACNA Boston pull their employees from Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 and have received the same commitment from the union leadership. The union and the contractors focus first on those members who serve in the military. Cox Engineering employs six of them — all through Local 17’s Apprenticeship program and an affiliated national program called “Helmets to Hardhats.”

Harrington Bros. Corp. also enthusiastically employs military sheet metal workers from Local 17. Stephen McKunes is one of them.

McKunes recently returned from a deployment and three activations in the Air Force Reserve. Having returned from a four-month deployment to the U.S. Reservist Forward Operating Base in southwest Asia in 2009, McKunes was glad to have his apprenticeship spot waiting for him through the Helmets to Hardhats program.

McKunes had already gone through two of the five years’ apprenticeship training at Local 17 when he was deployed for four months in 2009.

“Then I came back to continue my apprenticeship and the Air Force activated me three times to our home station at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee,” McKunes said. “I spent seven months there in 2010, about a month in 2011, and just returned home a few weeks ago from a three-month activation.”

McKunes was hired by Harrington Bros. and will reach journeyman status in the spring of 2013.

Wounded vets’ families

SMACNA Boston donated $5,000 raised at a membership meeting last Christmas for the Fisher House Boston, which serves wounded soldiers and their families. Fisher House Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times.

According to Jen Deluca, assistant to the Board of Directors, the $5,000 donated by SMACNA Boston was timely.

“It just happened that last winter was the first time we’ve had to reach out to a hotel since our suites were all filled. We will never turn a family away,” explained Deluca. “That $5,000 enabled us to provide the hotel rooms our families needed.”

Gunning added, “We feel strongly at SMACNA Boston that as an employers association, we need to take care of our employees, our military, and our community.”

Discuss this Article 33

I've noticed there are several organizations doing similar things. Americans are real patriots and I really admire them for this. Even at ClarkeArms.com they have this deep connection with their native country.

Focusing on hiring members that served in the military makes the “Helmets to Hardhats” program so special because these people need to be helped so they could integrate in the local community. One of the members of the group would surely give the best advices when when I was looking for gun cleaning systems considering their expertise in this domain.

It's only natural to help military families when needed, they are fighting for justice and it's only fair to return the favor. Besides, they can share useful information when they get back home, there are many people out there who have learned about www.casesbypelican.com from them.

six sigma training Lean six sigma certification online. amitytraining.com is a leading management training and consultancy organization which offers training and certification in six sigma courses including lean six sigma yellow belt, lean six sigma green belt and lean Six Sigma black belt program. Visit our website for more information.

Focusing on hiring members that served in the military makes the “Helmets to Hardhats” program so special because these people need to be helped so they could integrate in the local community.gta 5 cheats

Focusing on hiring members that served in the military makes the “Helmets to Hardhats” program so special because these people need to be helped so they could integrate in the local community. West Palm Beach Escorts

Focusing on hiring members that served in the military makes the “Helmets to Hardhats” program so special because these people need to be helped so they could integrate in the local community. allergy treatment options

Chicago Faucets announces the release of a new white paper, Reducing the Risk of HAIs in Healthcare Facilities, which discusses products and solutions designed specifically to assist in reducing the transmission of bacteria in healthcare facilities....More

Property owners and facility managers can realize significant energy savings and improved comfort in a facility or building by upgrading a 20- to 30-year-old boiler with a new, more efficient unit....More

Photos & Videos

This week the product gallery features a pipe thawing machine, a full line of stainless steel shaft collars and couplings, a digital shower system, an industrial-inspired faucet, a thermodynamic steam trap and more.

This week the product gallery includes a frame-anchored trench drain, a hybrid electric water heater, safety goggles designed for work in wet conditions, a new bathroom ceramic material, a hot water recirculation control and more.

This week the product gallery includes a residential lavatory faucet, a domestic booster pump, a pre-piped pumping station for use in radiant applications, a range of lead-free brass fittings, a low-flow toilet and more.